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Congressional candidates say veterans need more help, resources

As the June 7 primary election day nears, North State veterans want to know what the candidates for the 1st Congressional District have in mind when it comes to addressing their health benefits, mental health issues and the length of time it takes...

Congressional candidates say veterans need more help, resources

As the June 7 primary election day nears, North State veterans want to know what the candidates for the 1st Congressional District have in mind when it comes to addressing their health benefits, mental health issues and the length of time it takes to address claims at the Veterans Administration Hospital, which has become an overall national concern.

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website, a weekly log shows the number of claims has decreased steadily. In March 2013, the claims backlog was at 611,073, and as of April, it was at 78,533 claims.

Shasta County Veterans Service Officer Tommy Key said improvements have been made with the claims processing. In the past, he said the claims process could take five years, but now, claims are addressed between six and 14 months, he said.

“The VA takes a while,” he said. “It may not be great, but it is better.”

U.S. Census data show about 10 percent of the county’s population are veterans. The Shasta County Veterans Services office helps veterans file claims, take advantage of other resources such as the college tuition waiver fee, and educate about burial and pension compensation, and survivor benefits.

The office typically sees nearly 20 vets a day, and sometimes up to 60 vets a day, he said, most of whom are between 68 and 72 years old, including Vietnam and Korean War vets.

Key said veterans filing claims must fill out a form known as DD 214, but are now able to also process claims online. However, in many cases, forms individually completed without the help of a VSO were not approved, he said. The caveat to filing a claim online without the help of a VSO is the lack of representation, Key said.

VSOs act like a “mini-attorney” by helping local veterans put a case together in one complete package, he said. “Our job is to make sure we can process documents correctly. That’s what we’re here for. We we look at the case really well.”

But the only way to speed up the claims process is by showing the ailment the veteran is receiving treatment for is “service connected,” which means they were performing military duty at the time.

He said the VA conducts its own investigation to protect taxpayer money, which is why veterans must keep proof by keeping a copy of their medical records. “It’s just for their protection,” he said.

He added that claims for injuries on U.S. soil while not in service may take longer to be addressed. One case came in as quickly as three months, but another took nearly five years.

For veterans seeking medical services, the drive to the Sacramento VA Medical Center can be daunting. But, the Veterans Choice Program allows veterans to seek care within their community, if they’re more than 40 miles away from a VA medical facility or have to wait for an appointment with the VA for more than 30 days.

Veterans are given a Choice Card, which allows them to seek services outside VA hospitals, but the services must be pre-authorized. For some veterans who have tried to seek outside services, instructions remain unclear.

Hank Marshman, 70, a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1934 in Redding, said the biggest issue he’s faced is just getting an appointment at the VA Hospital.

He has a nerve disorder in his left hand and has waited more than four months for an appointment, which kept getting canceled. He tried to seek outside services using his Choice Card, but had no luck either, he said.“In my case nobody was willing to communicate with me,” he said.

“The Choice Card is garbage as far as I’m concerned.”Marshman said he instead decided to go through his Medicare insurance and cover any out-of-pocket costs on his own, to receive care.

Tammy Walker, chief financial officer at VFW 1934, said a lot of veterans are confused about how to use the Choice Card, and often fall through the cracks and don’t receive the care they need.

“They get frustrated with VA and don’t show up, especially with mental health,” she said. “These are my brothers and sisters out there.”

She said it’s not uncommon to find a veteran knocking on their door asking for help whether it’s about health issues, housing or just getting the claims process started.

Walker, a VSO herself, said she found the claims process “mind boggling,” and believes the confusion with the Choice Card program prevents it from being used it its full potential.

Walker said she’s worked with Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Richvale, about dealing with veterans issues in the county, but believes Congress’ hands are tied, because it’s only able to help as much as information is available to its members.

“I have faith that they’re going to try,” she said. “They really want to make change, but most of them really don’t fully understand the issue.”

Here are what the candidates for the 1st Congressional District have to say about Veterans Affairs.

Doug LaMalfa, incumbent

Rep. Doug LaMalfa said at least half of the phone calls his office receives are about veterans issues. “Some feel like they have nobody to help them,” he said about veterans. “I’m pretty fired up about this stuff.”

LaMalfa’s office took on a 36-year-old veteran’s case and worked on it for a more than a year, to get a firsthand account to why claims were taking so long to process. LaMalfa said he decided to personally hand the documents to the regional VA office in Oakland, where claims are processed. His visit to the office was a “surprise,” he said.

But once there, LaMalfa said he kept getting a runaround at the office.“If they can treat the congressional office that way, then we’ve got a problem,” LaMalfa said.

“To me, they ought to be embarrassed because of the backlog.”LaMalfa believes the Veterans Choice Program is being “skirted by the VA” and needs to be expanded to allow veterans to see other physicians near their homes.

“I’ll work with the committee to see if they are indeed working in that direction,” he said.

Gregory Cheadle

Gregory Cheadle, a Republican in Shasta County, believes veterans in the county should have physical health and mental health issues addressed promptly.

The VA should reduce red tape so vets get their benefits on time and expand their health benefits to include more private physicians, he said.

He said social issues that are a result of post-traumatic stress disorder also need to be addressed.

“We need to address their homelessness that may be a result of PTSD, depression or not being able to find work,” he said. “And we have to find a way to make them more gainfully employed.”

Jim Reed

He said most veterans he’s been in contact with have been happy with treatment at the VA. But he also believes that veterans should be able to receive treatment from outside hospitals as well.

He said things appear to be improving, and that he hasn’t heard of there being any issues with the care VA provides, only the time it takes to receive care. He said a larger problem is at play — the military’s dependence on expensive independent contractors to handle many duties once conducted by service personnel.

“Vets are coming out of the military without skills and it’s like starting all over for them,” he said.

Joe Montes

Republican challenger Joe Montes is a veteran himself and his five brothers and a father also served. He said he believes the VA system is “completely broken.”

He said vets are suffering, and those who are back from serving abroad are suffering as well.“It seems that it’s not a party, funding or staffing issue,” he said about the claims log. “There’s nobody I know that is saying everything is fine and dandy at the VA.”

Montes believes the problem with the VA has to do with worker productivity and the allocation of the budget, which is not “veteran focused.”

“They’re coming home with battered bodies, battered spirits. Give them the tools and equipment they need,” he said.

Instead, he wants privatization of veterans care and wants Congress to earmark specific funds for state credit specifically for a veterans care program.

Jeff Gerlach

Joe Gerlach, who is running outside of any political party, wants to see more mental health help and housing offered to veterans in the area.

“Get them off the streets, off the drugs and into a place to live,” he said. “Half of the homeless population in this area are vets.”

Gerlach believes earmarking a certain amount of money to rural areas for veterans could help address veterans homeless issues, housing and jobs.

Gary Oxley

Gary Oxley, another Republican challenger and an emergency room nurse, said addressing the mental health of veterans needs to become a priority, and that therapy needs to go “beyond medication.”

“Invest in mental health professionals and provide counseling for folks,” he said. “To me, delivery of health care services, and making sure they’re taken care of, it’s not just vets, it’s their families as well.”

He said money being sent to international organizations and the United Nations should be spent on U.S. citizens instead.

“Congress has to have strength and courage to take care of people,” he said. “It’s important to play on global arena, but we have to take care of our own people first.”